Govt is very serious with responsibilities under APRM - President

Kufuor

Accra, May 27, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday pledged the Government's commitment to take responsibilities under the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) very serious. He said: "Ghana being the first country to open her doors for the exercise, the Government would take all responsibilities under the APRM very serious".

President Kufuor made the pledge when Dr Chris Stals, Leader of the APRM Support Mission currently on a visit to Ghana paid a courtesy call on him at the Castle, Osu.

He said Africa was lucky to have such committed and public-spirited people to work for the Continent to ensure good governance for the people, adding that he was optimistic that the Mission would work positively for the benefit of the people.

"The whole world is watching to see if Africans can provide for themselves good governance and proper evolution economically and socially", he said.

On the activities of the National African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council (NAPRMGC), President Kufuor said it was an independent body and would not be manipulated or allowed itself to be manipulated by anybody or institution.

He said the Government would, therefore, co-operate with the NAPRMGC in the aspiration for good governance for the country.

Dr Stals said the establishment of the NAPRMGC by the Government was an innovation in the APRM process and commended the Government for the initiative because the Council would make the work of the Panel of Eminent Persons much easier.

He said, "although the NAPRMGC is not part of the structures for the review mechanism, it is working well to guarantee the process and the broad participation of the civil society in Ghana in the process". Dr Stals expressed appreciation to the cooperation and support the Mission had from the Council and the Ministry of Regional Cooperation and New partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) for the process. Under the APRM an assessment would be conducted on Ghana's democratic and political governance; economic governance and management; corporate governance and socio economic development.

The test would measure their ability to conform with the African Union's (AU) agreed political, economic and corporate governance values as well as codes and standards contained in the Declaration on Democracy, Political, Economic and Corporate Governance. 27 May 04